We are on the way to the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas, also called the Magao Caves or the Dunhuang Caves since they are 25 km from Dunhuang, China.

“What do you know about the Buddha?” I asked Karen.

“He was a prince in India who was disturbed by seeking a sick man, a dead man, and a monk. As a result, he left home to become enlightened. He sat under a tree and he must have become enhnlightened because he lived to become old and taught others to become enlightened.”

“What did he say?” I asked.

“There were the eight noble paths and the four noble other things, something like that,” she said.

“That’s close enough,” I replied. “We don’t need to get into details. The Buddha said life involves suffering and suffering comes from attachments. By giving up attachments, we reduce suffering; the pathway to do this involves…